Citing feedback from users and the challenging economic climate, Toon Boom Animation has announced that the pricing of selected products has been significantly reduced. The company says that the new pricing strategy reflects Toon Boom's commitment to make its products more accessible and to offer animators better value.

At last week's E3, Tim Shafer gave us more of a taste of what his upcoming Brutal Legend would be like, and it looked tasty, only affirming it's title as being one of the most anticipated games of this year. However, "anticipated games of this year" could turn into "anticipated games of next year", as Activision is looking to halt the release of the game by suing the games developer Double Fine Productions.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may "raise the bar for the shooter genre" yet again when it hits this holiday season, according to Activision CFO Thomas Tippl speaking at the Wedbush Morgan Securities annual meeting. "For 2009, we expect [Modern Warfare 2] will be the most anticipated game of the year," Tippl boldly claims, "Perhaps the number one game of the year despite the fact that it's only going to launch in the holiday season."

Animation software company Toon Boom Animation has announced a partnership with royalty-free stock library iStockphoto that provides Toon Boom users with access to free images as well as a special discount to buy credits.

Toon Boom Animation has announced it has closed a definitive agreement with Cambridge Animation Systems, to acquire all of the Intellectual Property of Cambridge and the Animo product line. The company says that "this acquisition furthers Toon Boom’s market consolidation strategy in the global animation industry and reinforces its leadership in the media, entertainment and educational arenas."

Toon Boom Animation has released Toon Boom Studio 4.5 and its Toon Boom Studio Importer to Flash (TBSi). This latest version enables users to create photo animation and live-action cartooning. Additional new features include a better integration with Photoshop files, extended ease of use, the ability to print, more export options to iTunes and YouTube as well as the import of Flip Boom and Animation-ish projects.

Toon Boom Animation has released Studio Express 4 a new version of its animation creation software for Mac OS X and Windows aimed at enthusiasts. It costs US$99.99 (normally $149.99; approx. £50, normally £75)). Upgrades are priced at $9.99 (approx. £5) for a limited time.

Activision is now the world's largest video game maker according to the LA Times. The company's rise above Electronics Arts as the top publisher is a result of Guitar Hero's massive success in addition to Tony Hawk, Call of Duty, and Spider-Man games.